TimeRef - Medieval and Middle Ages History Timelines - Lanfranc, (Archbishop of Canterbury) Lanfranc, (Archbishop of Canterbury) Buried At Lanfranc was an Italian trained in law who became a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. His abilities were noticed by William of Normandy who made him the abbot for his abbey of St. Stephen at Caen. Lanfranc moved to England after the Conquest and in 1070, when Archbishop Stigand was deposed by a Church Council and excommunicated, he was appointed the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Lanfranc was highly regarded by the King and when William had to do back to Normandy to put down rebellions Lanfranc was trusted to run England. He held several great Councils that changed and shaped the English Church. Explore Do you want to explore a Saxon Hall, a medieval church or a large stone keep? Click the images below to enter a medieval world. Lanfranc becomes Archbishop of Canterbury William the Conqueror placed Lanfranc in the position of Archbishop of Canterbury a move designed to strengthen his hold on the English throne.

Thomas of Bayeux, a pupil of Odo (William's brother), was put in the position of Archbishop of York after the death of Ealred who died on September 11, 1069. Archbishop Stigand was imprisoned in Winchester. 1071 - 1077 Canterbury Cathedral rebuilt by Lanfranc Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt at this time by Archbishop Lanfranc. The Cathedral was based on the design of his abbey in Caen. 1072 Council of Winchester Lanfranc held a Church council at Winchester where the reorganisation of Bishops and Bishoprics war confirmed. Canterbury was also confirmed as the head of the English Church rather than York. 1075 Council of London At the Council of London Archbishop Lanfranc instigated the movement of many English Bishoprics to more important locations. One of these was the Bishopric of Sherborne and Wilton which moved to Old Sarum. 1087 William II (Rufus) crowned at Westminster William II (Rufus) was crowned at Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Lanfranc after the death of his father William the Conqueror.

1088 William Rufus calls for support William Rufus had insufficient men at his disposal to deal with the rebellion in the south-east as there were too many ports to guard. The King called the representatives of the fyrd (the ordinary people of the country organised into an army) to a meeting in London where, with the support Lanfranc, he promised the people better laws and the removal of unfair taxes if they supported him against the rebels. The people agreed and together with the King they captured the castle at Tonbridge after a two day siege. [1] 1089 Lanfranc dies After the death of Archbishop Lanfranc William Rufus held open the post of Archbishop of Canterbury for four years taking the revenues for his own purposes. 1093 CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Lanfranc Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > L > Lanfranc Lanfranc Help support New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download . Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more  all for only $19.99... Archbishop of Canterbury , b. at Pavia c. 1005; d.

at Canterbury , 24 May, 1089. Some say his father was of senatorial rank, others accord him a somewhat humbler station. He received a liberal education according to the standard of the age, notwithstanding the death of his parents during his tender years. On reaching manhood he applied himself to the study and practice of the law with marked success, but left Pavia for the purpose of devoting himself to the pursuit of learning. He made his way to France , and attached himself to a school at Avranches, in Normandy , where he became noted as a teacher. At a later period, a vocation to the religious life developing itself in him, he quitted Avranches secretly, only taking with him one Paul, a relative. His biographer tells us he was robbed on the road, but eventually made his way to Bec, where Abbot Herluin was then engaged in building a monastery which he had recently founded. He was received into the ranks of the little poverty stricken community after the customary period of probation, and applied himself to Biblical studies.

In time, he was appointed prior of the monastery by Herluin, and was then enabled to open a school there, which rapidly became famous, and attracted scholars from many parts of Europe , several of whom rose to high rank in after years, especially the future pope , Alexander II , and Anselm, who succeeded Lanfranc both as prior of Bec and as Archbishop of Canterbury . In May, 1050, being in Rome on business, he attended the council there and opposed the heresies that had of late years been broached by Berengarius on the subject of the Sacrament of the Altar, denying the mode of the Real Presence . Through the contents of a certain letter, Lanfranc came to be suspected of sharing Berengarius's erroneous views, but he so ably explained his own opinions that he has stood forth ever since as the principal exponent of the doctrine which has from that date been labeled with the name of Transubstantiation .

Needless to say, that doctrine did not take its rise then, or through Lanfranc but his masterly exposition of the Faith (always held by the Church implicitly, and merely enucleated by him) was given with a clearness and precision of definition such as has been handed down through succeeding ages to ourselves. During the same year, at the Council of Vercelli , he once more upheld the orthodox belief against Berengarius , and again at Tours , in 1055, and finally secured the triumph of truth over error , of authoritative teaching over private interpretation, in the definition of the Lateran Council, held under Nicholas II in 1059. At a later date, probably about 1080, he wrote "De Corpore et Sanguine Domini" against the errors which Berengarius had continued to disseminate, notwithstanding various retractations and submissions. All these activities made Lanfranc a man of such note that William, Duke of Normandy, employed him as one of his counsellors.

He, however, forfeited the ducal favor about 1052-53, on account of opposing William's union with Matilda of Flanders , on the ground of their relationship within the prohibited degrees of kindred, and was, in consequence, ordered to leave the duke's dominions. On his journey to the frontier he happened to meet Duke William, who roughly asked him why his orders were not being obeyed. Lanfranc jestingly replied that he was obeying them as fast as a lame horse would allow him to do so. William appears to have been mollified by the answer, a reconciliation followed, and it would seem that Lanfranc undertook to forward negotiations for securing the needful dispensation from the pope . This he finally obtained in 1059, as well as the removal of the interdict which had been laid upon Normandy. In 1066 he was appointed to the Abbacy of St. Stephen's at Caen , one of the two abbeys lately founded by Duke William and his wife Matilda as one of the conditions of the papal dispensation from matrimonial impediments, and the ratification of their previously uncanonical union.

This year is further remarkable as chronicling the defeat of Harold, King of the English, at Hastings, and the consequent conquest of England by Duke William. It is generally supposed that Lanfranc had much to do with shaping the duke's policy of invasion, obtaining the pope's sanction of the expedition by a papal Bull and the gift of a blessed banner, thereby conferring on the undertaking the appearance of being a holy war against a usurper and a violator of his oath , to some extent, also, identifying It with the cause of ecclesiastical reform, which was well advanced in Normandy , but still very backward in England . Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury at that period, was in very bad odour with all parties; and in 1070, at a great council at Winchester , he was deprived of his office on charges of simony and uncanonical election.

Lanfranc had been elected to the Archbishopric of Rouen in 1067, but had declined it; now, however, the Conqueror fixed on Lanfranc as his choice of a successor to Stigand, and Lanfranc was at last prevailed upon, unwillingly enough, to yield his consent at the solicitations of his friends, headed by his former superior, Herluin. After receiving the temporalities of the see from William, he was consecrated at Canterbury on 29 August, by the Bishop of London . He entered on the duties of his high station with advantages of name and learning and experience of the world such as few men have ever brought to a similar office. The king's ecclesiastical policy, which he now, as chief counsellor, largely moulded, was without doubt beneficial to the kingdom; for the civil and ecclesiastical courts were separated, and regular synods were held, wherein regulations tending to better discipline were enacted and enforced.

The Normanizing of the Church further tended to bring the native ecclesiastics into closer touch with the learning and practice of the Continent; and this was effected by replacing nearly all the Saxon bishops and abbots with Normans, on pretexts grave or slight. Whilst the insularity of the native clergy was thus beneficially broken down, much on the other hand of local practice, laudable in itself, was swept away. Much might well have been retained, but could not stand against the prepossessions of the dominant party, and the effect generally was the destruction of local customs. In particular, the liturgy lost much of its distinctiveness. Hitherto the Saxon Church had kept in close touch with Rome . The old Itala version of the Psalms, for instance—that which is used to this day in the choir of St. Peter's at Rome — was everywhere employed in England ; but the Norman superiors supplanted that ancient version by the Gallicana, to which they were accustomed.

Proof of this may be seen to this day in corrected codices , such as, for instance, British Museum Additional manuscript 37517 (the Bosworth Psalter ), which possibly may have undergone revision at the hands of Lanfranc himself. Once, however, that Lanfranc was identified with the English Church, he espoused its cause warmly, upholding the dignity and primacy of his own see, by refusing to consecrate Thomas of Bayeux to the archiepiscopal See of York till he admitted his dependence on that of Canterbury . This dispute was carried to Rome , but was thence referred for settlement back to England , where the case was finally decided in favor of Canterbury at a national council held at Winchester , at Easter , 1072. Thomas made his submission to Lanfranc in a council held at Windsor at Pentecost of the same year. In connection with this incident a grave charge has of recent years been brought against Archbishop Lanfranc by H. Böhmer (in "Die Fälschungen Erzbischof Lanfranks"), who accuses him of having falsified and forged documents in order to secure the primary of the See of Canterbury over that of York. M.

Saltet (in "Revue des Sciences Ecclésiastiques", 1907), and others, have dealt with the question, exonerating Lanfranc from any personal complicity in these forgeries, if such they were. Meanwhile Lanfranc had been to Rome in 1071 to receive the pallium from Alexander II , his former pupil at Bec . As Archbishop of Canterbury his influence was so great that he was from time to time consulted by bishops not belonging to his own province or obedience, and he helped in the work of reforming the Church in Scotland . He enforced the observance of celibacy among the clergy in accordance with the decrees renewed in 1076 at a synod held at Winchester ; no canons were to be permitted to marry , nor could married men be ordained to the diaconate or the priesthood . But it is clear that at the time a state of degeneracy existed, and that too drastic measures all at once had to be avoided, since clergy already married were allowed to retain their wives.

He resisted an attempt to oust the monks at Canterbury and Winchester in favor of secular canons, and secured papal confirmation of the existing practice which had come down from the days of St. Augustine of Canterbury . Many episcopal sees were at this period transferred from obscure villages to rising towns, as Sherborne to Salisbury , Dorchester (Oxon.) to Lincoln, Thetford to Norwich , and Selsey to Chichester. In 1076 he again visited Rome , and, on the return journey, made a tour of Normandy , during the course of which he had the satisfaction of consecrating the church of his old monastic home at Bec . The king's attitude towards the Court of Rome more than once placed Lanfranc in a situation of extreme delicacy. William refused to allow the bishops of England to leave the kingdom for the purpose of visiting the pope without his consent. For this Lanfranc appears to have incurred the blame and was reproved, being, moreover, summoned to Rome , in 1082 under pain of suspension. He did not go, but it was the infirmities of old age, not contumacy , which prevented him from undertaking the long and arduous journey.

It is well, also, to remember that a purely political reason for the king's refusal may be assigned, and Lanfranc probably shrank from precipitating a rupture between the pope and the king upon a question of constitutional law. William introduced the system of feudal tenure for Church lands, which he was enabled to do when bestowing them upon Norman ecclesiastics , and required homage for them. But only in time did feudal homage and ecclesiastical investiture come to be confounded. It may be safely said that William never dreamt of encroaching upon ecclesiastical privilege, nor of questioning the spiritual supremacy of the Holy See , even when refusing to comply with the request of Gregory VII that he should do homage for his kingdom, and liquidate certain arrears of Peter's pence . The explanation of the pope's attitude and demand would seem to be that the tribute had come to be looked upon as a token of vassalage, whereas, in its origin, it was unmistakably a free gift. William, while refusing to render homage, promised that the arrears of Peter's-pence should be forthcoming.

Capital is sometimes made, too, of the fact that William and Lanfranc adopted a hesitating attitude in the case of the antipope Guibert , or Clement III , in 1084. All that can be justly inferred is that they maintained strict neutrality until such time as the merits of the candidates could be adjudged by proper authority. As that authority was not theirs, neither William nor Lanfranc assumed the prerogative of settling the dispute one way or another. (See Liebermann in "Engl. Hist. Rev.", April, 1901, p. 328.) In fact, no act of theirs can be instanced as showing anything but the most complete and filial submission to the Holy See . (See Martin Rule in "Dublin Rev.", 3rd series, vol. VI, 1881, pp. 406 sqq.) Lanfranc strenuously upheld the rights of his Church of Canterbury , when necessary , by legal action, even against the Conqueror's half-brother Odo of Bayeux .

He also showed himself a munificent benefactor to the see , rebuilding the cathedral after its destruction by fire in 1067, improving the archiepiscopal estates by his good management, founding hospitals for the sick and indigent of both sexes, and giving liberally to widows and to the poor. His munificence was not confined, however, to his own see; he contributed largely, for example, to St. Albans , whose abbot , his relative Paul, had initiated there a vast scheme of rebuilding. His lifelong love of learning prompted him to foster studies; and even when immersed in the multitudinous and anxious affairs attached to his office and to his secular position as chief counsellor to the king, his pen was not idle, as the list of his works, which (considering the calls on his time) is a long one, testifies. His writings were published collectively by d'Achery in 1648; they may also be consulted in Migne , P.L., CL, and in Dr. Giles's edition of his works, published in 1844.

Other treatises, now lost, have been attributed to him, amongst which are some that should rightly be ascribed to others. When William had to leave England to attend to the affairs of his continental dominions, Lanfranc acted as his vicegerent, or regent, in England , and displayed not only activity and sagacity as a temporal ruler, but military qualities of no mean order as well in the repression of a rising against the Conqueror in 1074. It was probably by his advice, too, that, notwithstanding the violence of that young prince's character, William the Conqueror left England to his second son William Rufus, as by right of conquest, Normandy to his eldest son Robert, by right of inheritance, and only a large sum of money to his son Henry. The choice of Rufus was, doubtless, because, as having been Lanfranc's pupil, and as having received his knighthood from him, the archbishop's influence over him might be presumed to be of some weight. Lanfranc crowned him at Westminster less than three weeks after the Conqueror's death. Lanfranc's name is, with that of his successor, St.

Anselm , inseparably coupled with the thorny question of investitures, for the differences between king and primate , which came to a head under St. Anselm , showed their beginnings under Lanfranc. Here it is enough to say that his influence over a great ruler, such as the Conqueror was, prevented any but worthy appointments in the Church . But the root of the future evil lay in regarding sees merely as portions of the temporal fiefs attached to them, instead of keeping their spiritual character wholly separate from their temporal adjuncts. So long as a ruler—such as the Conqueror—was right-minded, no great harm was to be feared, but when a godless savage like William Rufus saw fit to intrude unworthy men into sees, or kept sees vacant in order to enjoy their revenues, then great evils arose, and such men were likely to assume—as Rufus did—that spiritual power and jurisdiction was derived from them by means of investiture with staff and ring, as well as tenure of the temporalities whose outward symbols were at that time, unfortunately, the same instruments.

Lanfranc saw clearly the distinction between the civil and ecclesiastical capacities in which the same man might be regarded and might act, and it is related of him that in 1082 he encouraged the Conqueror to arrest his brother, Bishop Odo. The king scrupled to imprison a clerk, but Lanfranc grimly pointed out that he would not be arresting the Bishop of Bayeux (as it was not for an ecclesiastical offence), but the Earl of Kent—a title he held. Again, in 1088, when William de S. Carilef, Bishop of Durham , was being tried for his share in the rebellion of Odo and the Norman lords, that prelate endeavored to shield himself under his episcopal character. Lanfranc reminded him, first, that he was not at the bar as a bishop , but as a tenant-in-chief of the king; secondly, that the bishops judging him were acting in a like temporal capacity. Had that distinction been recognized and borne in mind by William Rufus, the troubles of his reign about investitures need never have arisen.

Lanfranc endeavored to check the extravagances of the Red King, who, however, proved deaf to his entreaties and remonstrances. Nevertheless, it is certain that, as long as Lanfranc lived, his influence, slight as it might be, caused Rufus to put some sort of restraint upon his evil nature. His faithlessness to his engagements and promises, however, was a source of bitter sorrow to the aged archbishop , and doubtless hastened his death. It had been his accustomed prayer that he might die of some malady which would not affect his reason or his speech, and his petition was granted. An attack of fever in May, 1089, in a few days brought him to the grave. On 24 May, the last day of his life, his physicians having ordered him a certain draught, he asked to defer it until he had confessed and received the Holy Viaticum . When this was done, he took the cup of medicine in his hand, but instead of swallowing it, calmly breathed his last. He was buried in his own cathedral .

In the "Nova Legenda" Lanfranc has the title of Saint, and elsewhere he is called Blessed; but it does not appear that the public honors of sanctity were accorded to him. His character may here fitly be summed up in words written in the "North American Review" (XCII, 257): "An Italian by birth, trained to new thoughts by long residence in France , he brought the subtile mind of his birth-land, refined by the use of French policy, to his new home, and into contact with the clear, hard sense of the English; and ruled in that realm with more than the skill of a native. . . . he was called on . . . so to frame and regulate the institutions of the Church , that they might conform to and sustain the altered constitutions of the State. . . . vigour of intellect and energy of purpose were . . . .

demanded in one who must displace an old hierarchy , long and deeply established in the affection of the people, and mainly form anew the entire internal economy of their religious sentiments and worship." In every capacity, as scholar, as author, as politician, and as divine, Lanfranc exhibited the sound sense, rare tact, and singular ability that marked the great man amongst his fellows, and that gained for him a memory enduring through eight centuries even to our own day. Lanfranc | Article about Lanfranc by The Free Dictionary Lanfranc | Article about Lanfranc by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Legal , Wikipedia . Lanfranc (lăn`frăngk), d. 1089, Italian churchman and theologian, archbishop of Canterbury (1070–89), b. Pavia. At first educated in civil law, he turned to theology and became a pupil of Berengar of Tours Berengar of Tours , c.1000–1088?, French theologian, also called Bérenger and Berengarius, b. Tours. He was archdeacon of Angers (c.1040–1060).

After studying at Chartres, he returned to Tours to become head of its cathedral school. ..... Click the link for more information. . After teaching in Avranches, Normandy, he went to Bec (c.1040), where he founded an illustrious school and became prior (c.1043). Among his pupils were St. Anselm Anselm, Saint , 1033?–1109, prelate in Normandy and England, archbishop of Canterbury, Doctor of the Church (1720), b. Aosta, Piedmont. After a carefree youth of travel and schooling in Burgundy he became a disciple and companion of Lanfranc, the famed theologian and prior ..... Click the link for more information. and perhaps Pope Alexander II. In 1049, Berengar impugned Lanfranc's orthodoxy, and Lanfranc, successfully clearing himself, attacked Berengar in turn.

Some 10 years later Lanfranc wrote the treatise De Corpore et Sanguine Domine [concerning the Body and Blood of the Lord], which, though ineffective as a rebuttal of Berengar's writings on the Eucharist, set forth ideas that became influential in the Middle Ages. He was closely associated with Duke William of Normandy (later William I William I or William the Conqueror, 1027?–1087, king of England (1066–87). Earnest and resourceful, William was not only one of the greatest of English monarchs but a pivotal figure in European history as well. ..... Click the link for more information. of England) and probably helped secure papal recognition of the duke's marriage and the papal blessing for the conquest of England. In 1070, William replaced Stigand Stigand , d. 1072, English prelate. He held simultaneously the sees of Winchester and Canterbury from 1052 though official recognition of this did not come until 1058 from Benedict X, an antipope. ..... Click the link for more information.

as archbishop with Lanfranc, who accepted only on the direct command of the pope. Thereafter king and archbishop worked closely together in matters of both church and state. Lanfranc replaced English abbots and bishops with Normans (a course often denounced but quite essential to any reform), reduced the archbishop of York to subjection to Canterbury, legislated against clerical marriage and concubinage, built churches, reformed ecclesiastical finance, established ecclesiastical courts, strengthened the monasteries, and removed the bishoprics from small towns to important cities. Occasional friction between church and state caused no quarrels until the reign of William II William II or William Rufus , d. 1100, king of England (1087–1100), son and successor of William I. He was called William Rufus or William the Red because of his ruddy complexion. ..... Click the link for more information. . Lanfranc had favored young William, and crowned him, but the archbishop was deeply displeased by the king's arbitrary actions, and trouble was averted only by Lanfranc's death.

Bibliography Lanfranc | archbishop of Canterbury | Britannica.com archbishop of Canterbury Roger of Pont l’Évêque Lanfranc, (born c. 1005, Pavia , Lombardy—died May 28, 1089, Canterbury , Kent, Eng.), Italian Benedictine who, as archbishop of Canterbury (1070–89) and trusted counsellor of William the Conqueror , was largely responsible for the excellent church–state relations of William’s reign after the Norman Conquest of England . Originally a lawyer, Lanfranc won a reputation as a teacher at a school he established at Avranches , Normandy (1039–42). He then entered the Benedictine monastery at Bec, where, after three years of seclusion, he became prior and resumed teaching. He was at first an opponent of the marriage of William of Normandy to Matilda of Flanders (1053), but he and William were later reconciled and thereafter maintained a relationship of mutual respect. William made Lanfranc first abbot of St. Stephen’s at Caen (c.

1063) and after the Conquest nominated him to the see of Canterbury as soon as the incumbent, Stigand , was deposed. Lanfranc embarked upon a successful reform and reorganization of the English Church. Although a firm supporter of papal sovereignty , he assisted William in maintaining the fullest possible independence for the English Church. At the same time he protected the church from royal and other secular influence. His concern for the separate responsibilities and prerogatives of state and church shaped a memorable ordinance that divided the ecclesiastical from the secular courts (c. 1076). His policy, in accord with that of the King, was to replace native English bishops with Normans, but he remained on friendly terms with Wulfstan of Worcester, the last of the Anglo-Saxon prelates. Perhaps his greatest service to the King was his detection in 1075 of the conspiracy formed against him by the earls of Norfolk and Hereford. On the death of the Conqueror in 1087, Lanfranc secured the succession for William II Rufus, inducing the English militia to support him against the partisans of his elder brother, Robert II Curthose, Duke of Normandy.

Learn More in these related articles: Archbishops of Canterbury Archbishops of Canterbury By Ben Johnson | Comments In the Christian church, an archbishop is a bishop of superior rank who has authority over other bishops in an ecclesiastic province or area. The Church of England is presided over by two archbishops: the archbishop of Canterbury, who is 'primate of All England', and the archbishop of York, who is 'primate of England'. In the time of St. Augustine, around the 5th century it was intended that England would be divided into two provinces with two archbishops, one at London and one at York . Canterbury gained supremacy just prior to the Reformation in the 16th century, when it exercised the powers of papal legate throughout England. It is the Archbishop of Canterbury who has the privilege of crowning the kings and queens of England and ranks immediately after the princes of royal blood. The Archbishop's official residence is at Lambeth Palace, London, and second residence at the Old Palace, Canterbury. The first Archbishop of Canterbury was Augustine. Originally prior to the Benedictine monastery of St.

Andrew in Rome, he was sent to England by Pope Gregory I with the mission to convert the natives to Roman Christianity. Landing in Ebbesfleet, Kent in 597 Augustine quickly converted his first native when he baptized Ethelbert, King of Kent along with many of his subjects. He was consecrated Bishop of the English at Arles that same year and appointed archbishop in 601, establishing his seat at Canterbury. In 603 he attempted unsuccessfully to unite the Roman and native Celtic churches at a conference on the Severn. The following list traces the Archbishops from the time of Augustine through the Reformation, up to the present day. Their influence on the history of England and the English people is apparent for all to see. Archbishops of Canterbury 604 Laurentius. Nominated by St. Augustine as his successor. Had a rocky ride when King Ethelbert of Kent was succeeded by his pagan son Eadbald. Remaining calm Laurentius eventually converted Eadbald to Christianity, thus preserving the Roman mission in England. 627 Honorius. The last of the group of Roman missionaries who had accompanied St. Augustine to England. 668 Theodore (of Tarsus).

The Greek theologian was already in his sixties when he was sent to England by Pope Vitalian to assume the role of archbishop. Despite his age he went on to reorganise the English Church creating the diocesan structure, uniting for the first time the people of England. 693 Berhtwald. The first archbishop of English birth. Worked with King Wihtred of Kent to develop the laws of the land. Cuthbert. Established England as an important base from which Anglo-Saxon missionaries were despatched abroad. 765 Jaenberht. Backed the wrong horse in the King of Kent against King Offa of Mercia. He saw the importance of Canterbury reduce as power shifted to Offa's cathedral in Lichfield. 793 Ethelheard, St. Originally chosen by King Offa of Mercia, to make Lichfield into the premier archbishopric in England. Ethelheard appears to have messed things up a little in the politics of the day, and unwittingly succeeded in reinstating Canterbury's traditional superiority. 805 Wulfred.

As with his predecessors Wulfred's rule was frequently disrupted by disputes with the kings of Mercia and was at one stage exiled by King Cenwulf. 833 Ceolnoth. Maintained Canterbury's superiority within the Church of England by forming close relationships with the rising power of the Kings of Wessex, and abandoning the pro-Mercian policies of Feologeld. 890 Plegmund. Appointed Archbishop by Alfred the Great. Plegmund played an influential role in the reigns of both Alfred and Edward the Elder. He was involved in early efforts to convert the Danelaw to Christianity. 942 Oda. Oda's career serves to demonstrate the integration of Scandinavians into English society. The son of a pagan who came to England with the Viking 'Great Army', Oda organised the reintroduction of a bishopric into the Scandinavian settlements of East Anglia. 960 Dunstan. He was originally Abbot of Glastonbury from 945, and made it a centre of learning. He was King Edred's chief advisor and virtually became the kingdom's ruler.

Following the death of Edred in 955, his nephew King Edwy drove Dunstan into exile for refusing to authorize his proposed marriage with Ælfgifu. After Edwy's death in 959, Dunstan became Archbishop of Canterbury from 960. He is said to have pulled the devil's nose with a pair of tongs. His feast day is 19th May. 990 Sigeric. In the reign of Ethelred II the Unready, Sigeric was promoted from humble monk to the top job of archbishop. He is associated with the policy of paying Danegeld in an attempt to buy off Scandanavian attacks. 1005 Alphege. In 1012, he was captured by the Danes who had invaded Kent, and was held at Greenwich. He refused to pay his own ransom, and, during a drunken feast at which the Danes threw left-over bones and skulls at Alphege, he was murdered by a Dane whom he had converted to Christianity earlier in the day., The Danish leader, Thorkill, was disgusted by the murder and changed sides, bringing 45 ships to Æthelred 's service.

In 1033, Canute moved Alphege's bones from St Paul's Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral. 1020 Ethelnoth. One of the most distinguished of the Anglo-Saxon archbishops. The first monk of the Canterbury monastery to be elected archbishop. 1051 Robert of Jumieges. One of a small number of Normans who came to England with Edward the Confessor in 1041. His scheming and elevation to archbishop fuelled a civil war between Edward and Earl Godwine of Wessex. Robert was also the ambassador who promised the succession to Duke William (The Conqueror) of Normandy. 1052 Stigand. Became archbishop after the expulsion of Robert of Jumieges, as such he was never recognised by the church in Rome. A worldly and very wealthy man he was at first accepted by William I The Conqueror, but in 1070 was deposed by Papal Legate. 1070 Lanfranc. A native of Italy, he left home around 1030 to pursue his studies in France.

He was responsible for presenting the case to the Pope for William of Normandy's claim to the English crown. It was William I The Conqueror who appointed him archbishop in 1070. Lanfranc was responsible for reforming and reorganising the English Church and rebuilt the Cathedral on the model of St Stephen's in Caen where he had previously been Abbot. 1093 Anselm. Another Italian who had left home in search of better things and had found Lefranc as Prior at the Norman Abbey of Bec. He followed in Lefranc's footsteps first as Prior and then as Archbishop. His strongly held views on the Church-State relationship would greatly influence Thomas a Becket and continue to rumble on for centuries ensuring a greater control of the Church from Rome. 1139 Theobald. Yet another monk from the Norman Abbey of Bec. He was created Archbishop by Stephen. The relationship between the King and Archbishop strained over the years culminating in Theobald refusing to crown Stephen's son Eustace. He drew Thomas a Becket into his service Thomas a Becket .

Worked as a banker's clerk before entering the service of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury in 1145. He was a close friend of Henry II and was Chancellor from 1152 until 1162, when he was elected archbishop. He then changed his allegiance to the church, alienating Henry. In 1164, he opposed Henry's attempt to control the relations between church and state – preferring the clergy to be judged by the church and not by the state – and fled to France. There was a reconciliation between Henry and Becket and he returned in 1170, but the reconciliation soon broke down. After an outburst from the king, four knights – probably misunderstanding Henry's instructions – murdered Becket in front of the altar of Canterbury Cathedral on 29th December 1170. He was canonised – as St Thomas Becket – in 1172, and his shrine became the most popular destination of pilgrimage in England until the Reformation. His feast day is 29th December. 1184 Baldwin.

Despite being described as gentle and guileless, he did take action when needed, galloping up and saving Gilbert of Plumpton from the gallows, forbidding such hangman's work on a Sunday. Also saw action in the Crusades, he died five weeks after his 200 knights had fought at Acre. 1193 Hubert Walter. Rector of Halifax in 1185. He travelled to the Holy Land with Richard the Lion-Heart on the Third Crusade 1190 and, when Richard was taken prisoner by emperor Henry VI, Walter brought the army back to England and raised a ransom of 100,000 marks for the king's release. He was Dean of York from 1186 to 1189, then Bishop of Salisbury, and he became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1193. On Richard's death in 1199, he was appointed Chancellor 1207 Stephen Langton. He was consecrated archbishop by Pope Innocent III, which annoyed King John so much that he refused to admit him into England. The quarrel between King and Pope lasted until John submitted in 1213.

Once in England he proved to be an important mediator playing a key role in negotiating Magna Carta . 1375 Simon Sudbury. He was blamed for government mismanagement and unjust taxation which led to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler . The 'revolting' rebels dragged him from the Tower of London and beheaded him. His mummified head is displayed in the vestry of St. Gregory's church in Sudbury, Suffolk. 1381 William Courtenay. He led the opposition within the English Church to John Wyclif, dubbed by some to be 'the morning star of the Reformation', and the Lollards, and was influential in driving them out of Oxford. 1396 Thomas Arundel. The combination of his high aristocratic birth and driving ambition made him one of the most powerful men in England. His political connections led first to his banishment by Richard II in 1397, and then to his restoration by Henry IV two years later. 1414 Henry Chichele. He helped to finance the war against France, organised the fight against Lollardy and founded All Souls College in Oxford.

1443 John Stafford. It was said of him if he had done little good he had done no harm. 1452 John Kempe. Initially Henry V's Keeper of the Privy Seal and Chancellor in Normandy, he also served two terms as Chancellor of England. Before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury he was Bishop of; Rochester (1419-21), Chichester (1421), London (1421-5) and York (1425-52). 1454 Thomas Bourchier. Also served as Chancellor of England from 1455 to 1456, during an illness of Henry VI and while Richard of York was Protector. 1486 John Morton. Originally an Oxford-trained lawyer he fled to Flanders, to the court of Henry Tudor, after Richard III attempted to imprison him in 1483. Henry VII summoned him home after his victory at Bosworth in 1485 and made him archbishop.

After this he applied much of his energy to financial matters of state giving his name to the 'Morton's fork' principle of tax assessment: ostentation is proof of wealth - stricken appearance is proof of hidden savings. 1503 William Warham. He expressed doubts as to the wisdom of Henry VIII marrying Catherine of Aragon, the widow of Prince Arthur, but presided at their coronation. He did nothing to help Catherine against Henry's efforts to have their marriage declared null, but was less than happy with the increasingly anti-papal royal policy adopted after 1530. The martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer, from an old edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs Archbishops of Canterbury since the Reformation 1533 Thomas Cranmer. Compiled the first English Book of Common Prayer. First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1551, his 42 Articles laid down the basis of Anglican Protestantism. Burned at the stake for heresy and treason in opposing Bloody Mary. His feast day is 16th October. 1556 Reginald Pole. Returned from a self imposed exile in Italy following the accession of his Catholic cousin Queen Mary I.

He died within a few hours of her in November 1558. 1559 Mathew Parker. He was apparently surprised when Elizabeth I decided that her mother's (Anne Boleyn) old chaplain would make an ideal Archbishop of Canterbury. Presided over the very difficult opening years of the new religious settlement. 1576 Edmund Grindal. He had been exiled under Queen Mary I because of his Protestant beliefs and was therefore the obvious choice for the top job in the Church of Elizabeth I. His defiance of her wishes in 1577 however, led to his suspension under house arrest. He failed to recovered favour by the time of his death. 1583 John Whitgift. A former Cambridge don, he first attracted the attention of Elizabeth I by his strict disciplining of the non-conforming Puritans. Yet another archbishop who annoyed the lady, with the thought that a clergyman should attempt to decide theology for her Church. 1604 Richard Bancroft. Was born and intially educated in Farnworth, near modern day Widnes, he graduated from Cambridge and was ordained around 1570.

Whilst still Bishop of London, he drafted the rules for the translation of what would eventually become the 'most popular book in the world' ... The King James Bible . 1611 George Abbot. He found favour under James I, his reputation as a churchman however was dented when he accidentally killed a gamekeeper whilst out hunting with a crossbow. 1633 William Laud. His High Church policy, support for Charles I, censorship of the press, and persecution of the Puritans aroused bitter opposition. He was responsible for moving the altar from a its central position to the east end of churches. His attempt to impose the Prayer Book in Scotland precipitated the Civil War. He was impeached by the Long Parliament in 1640, imprisoned in the Tower of London, condemned to death, and beheaded. 1660 William Juxon. A friend of William Laud, he had attended Charles I at his execution in 1649 and spent the years until the restoration of Charles II in retirement. His appointment as archbishop in 1660 being a reward for loyal royal service. 1663 Gilbert Sheldon.

Another former advisor to Charles I, he attempted to unite the thinking of the Anglican and Presbyterian branches of the Church. 1678 William Sancroft. Following an unsuccessful attempt to convert King James II to Anglicanism, he and the king fell out. He openly and publicly defied royal orders to accept the King's Declaration of Indulgence for Dissenters and Catholics. A man of integrity it appears, as he played no part in Glorious Revolution and argued that the oath he had taken to James precluded him taking another to William III and Mary II. 1691 John Tillotson. He succeeded Sancroft as archbishop, having carried out the duties of the office since 1689 when Sancroft had refused to take the oaths that recognised William and Mary as rightful monarchs. William of Orange 1695 Thomas Tenison. A 'friend' of those who invited William of Orange to England in 1688. He warned about the threat to Anglicanism from a Stuart restoration. 1716 William Wake. He attempted to persuade the French Gallican Church to break with Rome and ally itself with the Church of England.

In later life he gained a reputation for corruption, appointing members of his family to financially lucrative positions within the Church. Frederick Temple. Followed the well worn path from Oxford to Rugby to Canterbury. 1903 Randall Thomas Davidson. Born in Edinburgh into a Presbyterian family, he studied at Oxford, and became chaplain to Archbishop Tait (his father-in-law) and also to Queen Victoria . 1928 Cosmo Gordon Lang. Born in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, he was Principal of Aberdeen University and entered the Church of England in 1890. He was both counsellor and friend to the royal family. 1942 William Temple. The son of Frederick Temple he deviated the well worn path from Oxford to Canterbury via Repton. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform in crusades against money lenders, slums and dishonesty. 1945 Geoffrey Francis Fisher. He also followed the now deeply rutted path from Oxford to Repton to Canterbury. As archbishop he crowned Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey in 1953. 1961 Arthur Michael Ramsey.

Educated at Repton, where his headmaster was the man he would succeed as archbishop - Geoffrey Fisher, he worked for Church unity with an historic visit to the Vatican in 1966. He also attempted to forge a reconciliation with the Methodist Church.

Question: Under which monarch did Lanfranc become Archbishop of Canterbury?
Answer: William I